Life Within The Institute
Main Article: Rothschild Institute of Psionics Here is an extremely brief overview of life as part of the Institute. New Recruits New psionics are immediately taken to the medical sector after abduction to undergo augmentation and receive the psionic implants that will allow them to contain and control their powers. This is done right away, with each procedure being treated as an emergency one. Students A mere week after augmentation surgery incisions have healed, psionic students are expected to begin their education and training regardless of age. The Institute provides education for ages under 10 until graduation at 18, paired with psychic and combat training all throughout. These courses are very thorough and intensive. Students are provided with room, board, and healthcare. Pubescent students are given sex education and birth control is mandatory until graduation. "Late Admission" Students Psionics who are only discovered by the Rothschild Institute in their adulthood are still given education and training, although they are taught in separate classes for a shorter period of time. Post-Graduation Psionics Unless they go to the Institute's university classes for a scientific or doctoral degree, after 18 psionics are expected to go to work and contribute to the Institute. This is done by either working through Institute agencies, working independently and sending a portion of their earnings back, or working directly within the Institute. Graduated psionics are still considered to belong to the Institute and their loyalty is expected. Working Through the Institute The most common choice for psionics is to work through the Institute agency. The agency matches Psionics to job requests from interested parties depending on the psionic's skillset and the reputation and how high profile/high pay the job is. Many psionics end up working law enforcement and lycomorph hunting jobs, and upscale mercenary work, although they may also work on research or in more private sectors. Psionics who work through the Institute are given perks, such as being able to rise through the ranks internally and continued payment for their healthcare. Working Independently Working independently is promised as an option for graduated psionics, but there are many hurdles for those who attempt to do so. They are not permitted to rise in rank and the Institute provides them no funding. Nevertheless, the Institute is still entitled to a portion of their earnings. Many end up working battery jobs. Working Within the Institute The final option is to work directly for or within the Institute, ie as a diplomat, doctor, professor, administrator, politician, etc. Menial jobs like janitorial work and practical jobs like cooking are also an option, but such choices are discouraged for Psionics Class B and above as it is felt to be a waste of their abilities. Honorable Discharges Short of death, the only way for a psionic to legally sever their financial/labor obligations to the Institute is to be released via an honorable discharge, or to have never been able to work in the first place due to disability. Honorable discharge is only granted if they are no longer fit to work through the agency because of certain predetermined mental disabilities, such as debilitating combat PTSD or severe psychosis, or a physical disability that prosthetics/robot legs cannot repair in a satisfactory way. For example, a single missing arm can be satisfactorily replaced, but Ike's spinal injury cannot be repaired to Institute standards and so he was released from duty. Discharges that cannot be considered "honorable," like deserting the institute, are met with prison sentences. Non-Psionic Residents Non-psionics living within the Institute tend to be either university students learning psionic-related fields or those working within the Institute, whether it's a scientific job, a doctoral job, practical job or a political one. If they are not students or children, non-psionics are expected to work or otherwise serve a function in the Institute, otherwise they are essentially deported. To non-psionics, entry into the Institute is treated as entry into a university that you become a legal citizen of. Non-psionic Institute attendees must apply, be 16 years or over, and show significant preexisting skill. The application process is highly competitive and they only accept a predetermined number of new applicants each year. Non-psionics who physically reside within Institute territory are allowed to have relationships and birth children. However, there are restrictions on family size for permanent, non-commuting residents due to the way the Institute chooses to allocate its resources. Families have a two child maximum, and if someone is absolutely set on having a third child they are required to move outside of Institute territory. In general, procreation within Institute borders is mildly discouraged (though families who end up birthing psionic children are rewarded), as the Institute's primary goal is the control/betterment of psionics and not the population growth of normies. (This family limit applies to psionics as well, as psionics are no more likely to beget psionic offspring. Psionics are discouraged from taking time off work for family rearing as well.) Prisoners If you are a psionic and break Institute law or fuck up outside the Institute in a major way, one of two things will happen. If you have broken the law in a major way, you will receive a sentence in the Institute prison compound located miles away from the Institute building itself. If you broke the law in a minor way, they will forcibly bring you back to Institute grounds if you are abroad and set to work on rehabilitation. The Institute prefers to rehabilitate when possible, as psionics are a scare resource and training is such a long process. Their "rehabilitation" methods, however, are often less than pleasant or humane.